


Put Your Little Hand in Mine

by anisstaranise



Series: is tú mo réalt eolais [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-19
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-08 05:38:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3197378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anisstaranise/pseuds/anisstaranise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a rather difficult day, Barry does the one thing he can think of to cheer up an upset Caitlin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Put Your Little Hand in Mine

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first SnowAllen fic. -nervous-
> 
> Title taken from **The Wonders'** _Dance With Me Tonight_
> 
> Special thank you to **Dee** , who never stopped encouraging me to write, who always supported me. Thank you for beta-ing this.

His footsteps echoed through the dark hallway leading to the Cortex. Barry meant to head home after storing the suit back in its case, the reinforced tri-polymer slightly battered after the day’s events; nothing Cisco and his magic touch couldn’t fix, but the soft glow coming from the lab and the gentle whirring of the computers drew him back.

Barry was quite certain he was the only one left in the building a few minutes ago, having overheard Cisco inviting Caitlin out for drinks while he was changing; understandable after the day they had. Emerging from the back room, comfortably dressed in his jeans and a flannel button down, he assumed they both had left; everything was dark and still.

It wasn’t until he was walking halfway down the hall towards the elevator that he heard movements coming from the Cortex. He looked over his shoulder in time to see the light flicker to life. Curious, Barry turned around and treaded cautiously back the way he came.

As Barry reached the doorway, his sights were met with a head of auburn hair- softly curled at the ends like the tendrils of steam rising from a freshly brewed cup of coffee, bowed down behind the desk and cradled in a pair of delicate hands- hands that have cared for him and patched him up more times than he could count, more times than he could ever be thankful for.

“Caitlin?” Barry called out softly.

A winsome face marred with tear tracks looked up at him. Caitlin smiled when her eyes met Barry’s but it was laden with such sadness that it broke his heart.

“Barry,” Caitlin exhaled, her voice small. “What are you doing here? I thought you left for the night.”

Barry stepped into the Cortex and paced lazily around the room. He noted the computer monitors in front of Caitlin- all three of them- were switched on, each one displaying something complicatedly mathematical and scientific that even Barry couldn’t decipher. His chest clenched tightly when he realized the exact reason why she was here at the lab and not out with Cisco; she was re-running all the calculations and theories of the day’s events again.

Folding his arms across his chest, Barry stopped pacing when he was standing next to Caitlin and rested the side of his hip on the edge of her desk. “I was about to. Then, I saw the light in here,” he said, his eyes raked over Caitlin’s features; from the rosy blush that seemed permanently imprinted on her cheeks to the slight wrinkle of her nose that indicated she was upset.

Caitlin gave a weak smile. “I’m sorry,” she said.

There was a look of utter defeat etched in her burrowed brows and eyes that glistened with sorrow. Her apology might have been for unknowingly deterring his plans of going home, but Barry heard a lot more in those two words; _Sorry I screwed up,_ it screamed. _Sorry you got hurt. Sorry he got away. Sorry. Sorry._

They had encountered a meta-human unlike any other earlier that day; one that could control his molecular structure, allowing him to alter his body’s size and density. Barry, even as The Flash- with his super speed and advanced healing abilities couldn’t match up to this new threat. With a nickname that didn’t quite stick in his mind- because he was too busy fending for his well being as well as the citizens of Central City- the meta-human had towered 60 feet over the city and unleashed his wrath.

Caitlin and Cisco worked tirelessly to come up with a solution to defeat the meta-human but there was an error in one of Caitlin’s hypotheses that allowed him to deftly one-up Barry. As a result, Barry had gotten terribly hurt and the meta-human escaped the clutches of The Pipeline.

“It’s just a scratch, yeah?” he tried to joke earlier as Caitlin swabbed his gaping skin with antiseptic and delicately sutured it back together. Barry waited for a retort of some kind- a small smile, a complaint of “You shouldn’t joke about things like that”- but she appeared to be too immersed in her thoughts to respond.

Barry knew what Caitlin was going through all too well; every time he didn’t arrive in time to save someone or when innocent people were seriously injured because he wasn’t fast enough, he crumbled inward with guilt and regret – and those emotions were currently written over Caitlin’s entire being.

With a nod, Barry turned on his heel and headed towards the innovatively modified portable speaker dock that sat on Cisco’s desk. He pulled out his phone and carefully placed it into the slot, knowing full well the outrage it would incur should he mess up one of Cisco’s ‘toys’. He pulled up his playlist on the screen and tapped ‘shuffle’ and the Cortex was instantaneously resonated with a voice singing:

[ _Every time I see you in the world, you always step to my girl_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mDxcDjg9P4)

Then, the enchanting notes of the harpsichord wafted through the speakers and bounced off the walls, filling the room with a welcomed tranquillity.

Barry wordlessly sauntered to where Caitlin was sitting and offered a hand; all the pleading of “ _Dance with me_ ” he tried to convey with a look rather than his words. It was a given with the two of them- a rapport forged over similar loss and grief; they rarely needed words to hear what the other was saying. Heartbeats passed before Caitlin smiled again, this time it was slightly more genuine, slightly less downcast.

Without hesitation, Caitlin took Barry’s hand and allowed him to tug her lightly out of the swivel chair. He led her to the center of the room, his steps purposeful and unhurried- there was no need for his super speed here; not now, never with Caitlin.

Barry started to sway from side to side, both of Caitlin’s hands in his. With their limbs bridging them, any movement he made prompted hers to do the same. It might look awkward if anyone were to look at them now, but there was comfort in the silly, languid motions of their bodies- it was safe.

With every alternate tug and push of their hands, Barry could see Caitlin’s body relaxing, her smile growing wider and wider. He let go of her hand and gently yanked her to curl into the nook of his shoulder with the other before slowly uncoiling her away from him again- eliciting an even wider smile.

They joined their hands again and lazily swayed in a circle as soft, lilting giggles tumbled off Caitlin’s lips. Relief swept over him as he let Caitlin’s little laughter thrum against his skin; music to his ears.

The outcome of the day’s events weren’t her fault, nor was it anyone else’s. Neither she nor Cisco- with their expansive scientific knowledge- could ever have predicted the consequences of a situation such as the one they faced earlier. There were too many variables, the probabilities were endless.

 _You win some, you lose some_ ; a worldview Barry adopted since becoming The Flash, knowing full well if he dwelled on all the missed opportunities and failed rescues, it would have driven him mad. So he learnt rather quickly to take everything in stride and honour the fallen by continuing to fight the good fight.

Caitlin tucked her face into the nook of his shoulder and rested a hand over his heart as the melodies of the song washed over them, his heartbeat in sync with the rhythm of the song.

_I can’t do it alone, I can’t do it alone_

Barry pulled Caitlin closer and buried his face in her curls, drawing soothing circles on the small of her back where his hand rested. He hoped the gesture would tell her all that he wasn’t saying; _it’s okay, it’s not your fault, everything will be alright_.

He wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it; if their roles were reversed, he’d appreciate someone telling him that, but he would wish they didn’t- because it wouldn’t change anything; perhaps it would make him feel worse. It would sound a lot like pity and pity wouldn’t help.

What _would_ help was to know that he wasn’t alone. And he was there to let Caitlin know she wasn’t alone- never alone- and that they will get through this- this guilt, this regret, together.

Without warning Barry dipped Caitlin gracefully, causing her to laugh that lovely laugh of hers- one that was full and warm. They continued to oscillate in the middle of the Cortex after effortlessly pulling her back up from the dip, slowly allowing themselves to forget all the terrible things that have happened- not just that day, but all the days before.

The song ended and was quickly replaced by another but neither of them paid any attention to it. Somewhere between swaying and forgetting, he found his forehead resting against Caitlin’s. Her eyes dipped lower and he presumed it was to his lips because _his_ eyes kept dipping to _hers_.

Barry stilled his movements as Caitlin reached up to brush their lips together; short and chaste- but it burned his skin and ignited a fire within. His heart banged wildly in his chest at a speed even The Flash wouldn’t be able to keep up with.

A smile much more like _Caitlin_ curled on her lips as she slowly pulled away from Barry and stalked to her desk. He knew that he may have given her a few minutes to forget but knowing Caitlin, she wasn’t about to let it go; but at least now she knows she’s not alone- that Barry will always be there for her, with her.

Barry watched her resume her work of reanalyzing the day’s data as he traced his thumb over his lips where the phantom feeling of Caitlin’s lingered. He smiled to himself and decided to leave his phone- the music could keep her company as she worked. He was about to take his leave when Caitlin called out to him.

Barry turned towards her voice, his green eyes finding her beautiful hazel ones easily.

“Thank you,” she breathed.

 

\---end

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> Comments welcomed.
> 
> This fic was inspired by this [Harry Potter "O Children" scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htnz4Kxu83Q)
> 
> The song Barry and Caitlin danced to was **Vampire Weekend** 's _Step_


End file.
